Who is Jesus? Born of a virgin

Verses:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18-20

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. Luke 1:26-35

Devotional:
There is no other name above Jesus Christ. As we look to answer the question “Who is Jesus?” we must begin with the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, our Savior. Perhaps the prophecy that Jesus fulfilled that is most central to the Christian faith is found in Isaiah 7:14, which foretold that "God with us" would be born of a virgin. Jesus is the only man who ever lived who entered the world this way, because Jesus was more than just a man – He was also God. His name, Immanuel, given to Him in the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy is translated as “God with us.” Jesus is born of a virgin, both 100% human and 100% God.

The virgin birth is what allowed Jesus to exist without a sin nature and, therefore, live a sinless life. Ever since Adam and Eve, when original sin entered the Garden of Eden, children have inherited a sin nature from their parents. But Jesus, being without a sin nature, is what allows Him to be the perfect lamb, or the perfect sacrifice for mankind, for all of us. Only a perfect lamb could pay the price for the sins of the entire world.

In addition, Jesus being both God and man is what allows Him to bridge the gap between a sinful people and a perfect God. Had Jesus not been born of a virgin, we would have no possible hope of reaching God. The virgin birth is key to Jesus being more than a man.

Reflect:
In our lives we follow many men and women in leadership positions: parents, bosses, elected leaders, people of great influence, etc. But no one deserves our full devotion like Jesus does because they are just men. They have a sin nature. They make mistakes. They fall short. At some point, every single one of them will disappoint us because they’re human. Following Jesus is different because He is the only one who will never fall, and the only one who will never fail to do what is best for you according to His will.

Respond:
Jesus came to this earth to be “God with us,” Immanuel. And He has invited each of us to accept His invitation to let Him into our hearts and to give Him His rightful place in our lives. We follow Him because we can trust Him. We trust Him because He is God.

Pray:
Lord, thank You for the gift of Your love and Your sacrifice. Help me to not allow the distractions of this world camouflage Who You really are: the God who has come to us. Help me follow You in every area of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.